Vox So whats happening with Kobo Vox?

[taming]

It didn't seem all that stealthy to me. The CEO spoke months ago about colour being the next step. The FCC filing got wide coverage as did the accidental leak on Future Shop. How is it different than rumours about the Fire and then there it was, available for pre-order.

This is also how the WiFi and the Touch pretty much happened. The Touch was announced in association with the big annual NY Book event. This is not associated with an event, but rather with the holiday buying season.

[The Terminator]

A huge amount of "currently viewing Kobo thread" went way up, right around 100 this morning and now leveling around 80-90

[kaikara]

Why would anyone purchase a device that doesn't suit their needs. You only have yourself to blame if that is the case. If they wanted a tablet there were lots of devices that could have been purchased then or now. The Vox and Touch are two totally different devices meant for different uses. And it has been 4 months now since the touch was released. Why is Kobo in the wrong for releasing a new device and ginving consumers more choice? How long should they have sat on the release?

What is fnny is that the people who are ticked probably don't even understand the differences in the devices. They just see new and think better. They will get the new one and get pissed off that it's battery doesn't last as long as the touch or it hurts their eyes to read on it for a long time. Besides if you really want the new one sell your touch and buy the vox.

Originally Posted by Lordvic

I'm not sure thats the reason.

I think many people (myself included) are scratching our heads as to why Kobo decided the release of this thing needed to be so "stealthy".

they did a huge announcement what, 2 months ago announcing the Touch. they advertised it pretty nicely. it was allover the front pages of their respective partner stores.

as far as everyone knew, the Touch would be the "pinnacle" device for the Kobo line-up. nothing indicated prior to the leak that kobo had any intention of releasing a device like this.

Then suddenly. Boom. today its on the website and taking pre-orders. no press announcement. No media event. nothing. so People who bought the Touch, who might have wanted more, and would have waited if they knew it was coming are sitting here with a device, that they might not have really wanted.

I can definitely understand why there's some grumbling going on. Although, buyer beware still. Kobo doesn't own anyone anything. it's still doesn't have to sit well

[Blossom]

I am in the need for an Android tablet I can use in bed to read with. I currently use my Phone which is a 3.2" screen. My choice of reader app is Mantano.

I have been looking at the Kindle Fire but not sure how locked in it will be, The Vox seems a much better choice to me.

[pokee]

Originally Posted by IsabeauG

If I had known back in July, I might have chosen the vox, but I don't think I'm missing out too much by having just a KT. If you're going to get something with all of the features of vox, you might as well upgrade to an iPad2 (or another brand of tablet) and have a bigger screen to read from.

Bigger isn't necessarily better. I, personally, like smaller tablets better. I suppose it depends on what you want the tablet for. It's logical to buy something that's more well-rounded, even if it costs more - but only if you're looking for something to replace your laptop or phone features. I am not - so this could be good for me...

[Suzanna]

I just purchased a kick-ass laptop for the price of an iPad. I can't justify that sort of expense for a tablet, not when I know it would be more of an accessory and wouldn't replace my laptop/desktop.

The Vox is very tempting, though. I was thinking of getting an iTouch, but the size and lack of expandable storage was putting me off. I like the size of the Vox, the fact we'll have access to Android apps, and I like the expandable storage. And as Blossom said, it would make reading in bed easier.

I'll definitely be keeping my Kobo Touch for longer reading sessions, though. I love my KT!

[Prufrock]

This is a total impulse buy for me.

I love my Touch, and will likely still keep it. That screen sounds great though, so hopefully it's easier on my eyes than my iPad.

As for the battery, the specs say 7 hours with wifi on. Turn it off and I imagine you'd get an easy 10-12 hours out of it.

Sorry, the Vox blows out the Fire in my mind, especially being able to read epubs on it.

[fbrII]

This is a total impulse buy for me.

Where have I heard that before?

I have asked Kobo via e-mail if you will be able to download the Kindle Android App on a Vox. If the answer is yes, I will also be acting impulsively.

I will post whatever I hear from Kobo.

[p_a_smith]

The Vox looks like it will access the andoid market which means you can download any app you like (the kindle app is 2.1 and will run fine on the specs listed) out of the box.

[kaikara]

From what Others are saying you won't be able to access the entire Android APP Market. This will be more like the Fire where Kobo is controlling the ecosystem. So unless you want to root it and load a custom ROM on it you are going to be limited by what Kobo will allow you to do. My guess is you are not going to be able to install the Kindle App in the stock form.

Read some of the comments here to see what they are saying about the App Store.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/19/k...ch-display-gi/

[JedV]

Indigo/Chapters is now promoting the Vox in Canada.

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/kobo-v...=EMSx321x42182

[5thWiggle]

Looks like the market is GetJar, not Google's. So free apps only. However, there are other markets around as well.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Prufrock

As for the battery, the specs say 7 hours with wifi on. Turn it off and I imagine you'd get an easy 10-12 hours out of it.

That's not going to happen. On an LCD tablet, the WiFi drain is minuscule compared to everything else, so you'll see little difference with WiFi on or off.

[taming]

Originally Posted by kaikara

From what Others are saying you won't be able to access the entire Android APP Market. This will be more like the Fire where Kobo is controlling the ecosystem.

No. You will be able to sideload apps from multiple places. It already has the file manager loaded and GetJar, one of the alternative app stores. If you can download the .apk and it works with Android 2.3, you should be good to go. No branching, no forking--pure Android 2.3. Probably no Android market because it has no cameras. No need to root (unlike the Nook Colour) because it can sideload out of the box.

[beautifulsoup]

Originally Posted by 3d0g

...And like all previous devices, Kobo's been smart by including the SD card slot. This means you can take your music and vids where there's no WiFi. Can't do that with a Fire...

Oooh....now it's very tempting....